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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29003943">That One Time Neil Used His Magic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadFireBred/pseuds/RedHeadFireBred'>RedHeadFireBred</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Adventure &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Andrew Minyard Loves Neil Josten, Blood, Character Death, Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Curse Breaking, Curses, Demisexual Neil Josten, Domestic Fluff, Elves, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Falling In Love, Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Half-Elf Kevin Day, Half-Elves, Horseback Riding, Horses, Idiots in Love, Intimacy, Kevin Day &amp; Jean Moreau Friendship, Knight Kevin Day, Language Barrier, Lebedínoye Ózero | Swan Lake References, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Neil Josten Is an Idiot, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Not Beta Read, Oblivious Neil Josten, POV Neil Josten, Platonic Cuddling, Potions, Prince Aaron Minyard, Prince Andrew Minyard, Princes &amp; Princesses, Protective Andrew Minyard, Protective Neil Josten, Royalty, Sassy Neil Josten, Soft Andrew Minyard, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Sorcerers, Spells &amp; Enchantments, Stressed Kevin Day, Swearing, Swords &amp; Sorcery, Treason, True Love, Witch Neil Josten, Witchcraft, Witches, andrew is the swan princess, guys i'm so sorry he's so stupid, last time i tag that i promise, like i wrote this weird blood thing for the blood oath, no beta we die like men, sorry - Freeform, very light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:41:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29003943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadFireBred/pseuds/RedHeadFireBred</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Palace of Palmetto is saved from treason with Luther locked away, which means the only thing Neil and Kevin have to do to save the rest of the kingdoms is find Riko. But before they can do that, they need to get Andrew back to the lake before the curse ends up killing him.</p><p>Time is running out. Not to mention the fact that Riko isn't really happy that Neil put a stop to all his plans.</p><p>~*~</p><p>Or, Andrew's curse is killing him, Neil figures out how to use his magic for the first time in his life and Riko makes more stupid decisions.</p><p>NOTE: There are five parts before this I recommend reading to understand what's going on!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>222</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>That One Time Neil Used His Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Guys I was on such a roll, I hope you enjoy this. </p><p>Guess what gets to happen in the next part?</p><p>Curse breaking.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“So, in short,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Neil said in Elvish, grinning at Kevin’s hunched shoulders, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“if you’re going to use a potion to make your pumpkins grow larger, make sure to measure before you pour.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He almost felt bad. Almost. Kevin made the mistake of agreeing to escort Neil and Andrew back into the Enchanted Forest so they could get Andrew to the lake before he...well, before he died. They’d only just gotten to the forest when the stars came out, the moon shining brightly enough to give Neil some hope that they’d get Andrew back in time. His friend had fallen asleep during their ride as Neil drew out the story of how he grew a pumpkin so large it exploded just to annoy Kevin, which was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you done?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kevin asked. Not for the first time, but unlike the other times he looked close to drawing his sword and fighting Neil to get him to shut up.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Neil decided. He pulled his cloak more around himself and Andrew to keep the biting wind away as they finally entered the wood, finally around magic he recognized. It seemed to rush at him to welcome him back, giving him more energy than before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Kevin were quiet for a bit as they walked down the path, making their way to the sacred grounds. Neil wanted to go back to his cottage and make sure everything was in order, but more importantly he wanted to get Andrew back to the lake and talk for awhile. It had been nearly five days since they’d last spoken with words, so a long talk and some sleep sounded perfect right about now. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“When do you want to start looking for Riko?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kevin spoke up. When Neil glanced his way he found the knight giving him a pointed look, eyes flicking from Andrew’s sleeping body to Neil’s eyes. Neil didn’t like keeping things from Andrew, and if his friend wasn’t asleep then he definitely heard Riko’s name and could probably guess what they were talking about, but he decided to play Kevin’s game for now.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eventually,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he decided. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I want to lay low for just a little while. Jean’s looking in Trojian - at least, I think.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>That was another thing they’d talked about before Neil started to be annoying on purpose: he finally found the time to explain to Kevin what he’d done for Jean. How it had basically been a split second decision that so far he hadn’t regretted. Kevin seemed happy that Neil had helped, and when told what had happened to the other Ravens he didn’t seem remorseful. He’d just nodded and continued on, asking how Jean was before they had gone their separate ways.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Finding Riko isn’t going to be easy,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kevin said more quietly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We shouldn’t waste time.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil secretly agreed, but at the same time what he really wanted to do was to just stop traveling for a while. For everything to just be over: all the plots, all the battles, Andrew’s curse, and everything else. He wanted to go back to his cottage and tend to his garden and help out the wildlife and to not be bothered. Unless it was by Andrew - that was fine, he would always be welcome. Even if the curse was broken and he ended up with whoever the curse deemed worthy of a love confession or whatever the hell it would be, and even if he’d leave the forest and go on and become King of Palmetto. What was Neil going to be? A witch living in the Enchanted Forest, alone with just the wood elves and animals and nymphs for company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was fine, really. So long as Andrew could visit once in a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Just a day,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Neil asked Kevin, looking up from Andrew’s sleeping form. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He can’t come with this time.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He knows.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, and he’s not going to be happy about it.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kevin didn’t argue. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“If you leave at night…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil scowled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“No, I won’t do that. That’s horrible.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>With a tiny smile Kevin fell silent, turning back to the path and moving on ahead. Neil continued to scowl as he followed, not sure what Kevin’s silence meant. Maybe he was happy Neil didn’t want to run off when Andrew couldn’t do anything about it? Or maybe he thought it was funny Neil wouldn’t do that? Whatever the case, he decided he didn’t want to talk to Kevin anymore as they finished up their journey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He recognized the path that would take him towards his cottage and found himself feeling just a little homesick again. Tomorrow morning he could finally get back, clean the place and make sure his garden was still okay. Even if he was just going to leave again the next day. Neil decided he really hates Riko, and he was really tempted to try and use his magic to figure out where the fucker was to save them some time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it to the small path off the main one that led to the sacred grounds. As they started on it Neil started calling Andrew’s name to wake him up, not wanting to jostle him and end up bitten. Seriously, the first time he did that was the last time he would ever try. It took a few times but Andrew woke up, blinking sleepily, or maybe with so much exhaustion. The curse was taking a lot out of him now that he was on such a time limit, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re almost there,” Neil whispered, making sure his cloak was secured around his friend as he shivered and huddled closer. “Just a little longer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew didn’t even respond with a honk, which was concerning. He urged his horse, Esprit, just a little faster so that they could get Andrew there before time was up, whenever that was. He could try to use his magic to see, but with his emotions taking over it would be unsafe to try. Not to mention he wasn’t eager to use his magic ever since he injured himself. Maybe one day he’d have the courage to try again, but not now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were nearly there when Neil felt something just a little off. He was sensing a different kind of magic, and it wasn’t anything like he’d felt in the forest before. The sacred grounds had their own kind of magic that kept the place preserved and to a chosen climate, but this wasn’t part of that. It felt like there was another magic user around, and Neil didn’t recognize them. “Kevin,” he said, pulling Esprit to a stop. He could see the ruins up ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Kevin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s in there,” Neil replied, unable to take his eyes away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nobody I can recognize. They have magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kevin look away and ahead towards the ruins as well. “Riko,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Neil mumbled, urging Esprit to move forward slowly. “But why would he come here? Of all places?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. To kill Andrew? Upset the peace in the kingdoms once and for all and try to start a war?” Kevin huffed and straightened where he sat in his horse’s saddle. “Whatever it is, he’s not getting away this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil wanted to agree and to have the same confidence Kevin suddenly seemed to have, but it was difficult. With Riko in the way, saving Andrew was going to be ten times harder. Not to mention the fact that Riko definitely had magic with him and wouldn’t hesitate to use it against them. Kevin couldn’t fight back, as skilled as he was with a blade. And Andrew was stuck as a swan. Neil had magic, but to use it </span>
  <em>
    <span>now?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t ideal, to put it simply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came to a stop after entering the grounds. Riko Moriyama was sitting in one of Andrew’s chairs between them and the lake, one hand holding a long spear and the other clutching three vials of dark red magic, the same color as the ones Luther had in his chambers. He was dressed as though he’d made the split second decision to go traveling, and wasn’t in any attire to be doing so. He had a thin gold band on his head that must be his crown from Evermore. Other than that, there wasn’t any other evidence that he’d been traveling. No horse around, no dirt on his clothes, but there were many other ways to get around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, this should be fun,” Riko greeted them, sitting up straighter. “Hello, Kevin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Riko,” Kevin responded, one hand moving towards his blade. “I’ll only ask once for you to move.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Riko said, standing up. His eyes moved away from Kevin to stare at Neil. “Nathaniel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Neil,” Neil grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>you,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Riko finished, looking at Andrew with a look more sinister than what he’d given Kevin or Neil. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew was trying to make himself look intimidating, but he could barely croak out a honk and he was still shaking from the pain the curse was dealing him. “Easy,” Neil whispered to him, facing Riko himself. “It was stupid of you to come here. You’ve made my and Kevin’s job so much easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None of you are leaving here alive,” Riko seemed to growl. He was holding onto the vials of magic more tightly, which quickly responded to his anger and began to get brighter. Neil eyed it warily. “Let’s start with the royalty and work our way down, shall we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re an idiot,” Neil called back. “Why are you doing this, anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha!” Riko laughed. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I really can’t understand it,” Neil continued, forcing himself to remain calm. Kevin kept giving him glances, probably to tell him to shut up, but he couldn’t. “You’re a prince, you live a good life. Or, at least, as good of one you can have in Evermore. I just really can’t get why you’d try to destroy all the kingdoms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to know </span>
  <em>
    <span>why?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Riko spat. The red magic glowed brighter and brighter, lightin up Riko’s face in the dark to add to how terrifying he already seemed. “E’Allen is flawed! I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>fixing</span>
  </em>
  <span> it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil frowned. “And you’re dragging the other kingdoms into it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you’ve already guessed I couldn’t just take power without support. It was either that or face war on three fronts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but why </span>
  <em>
    <span>Andrew?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrong place at the wrong time,” Riko answered with a shrug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow.” Neil shook his head and chuckled, turning towards Kevin as if he’d offer any support. “This is hilarious. This is...the worst coup I’ve ever heard of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pretty much asking for it. Riko let out a loud yell and pocketed two of the vials in his fist, opening the last one and letting the magic fly towards his spear. He held it up in the air, and for a moment nothing happened, until the sky started to get cloudy. Not with rain, just cloudy, enough to block out the stars and moonlight, darkening the sacred grounds until the only light left was from the few torches lit in the ruins and Riko’s red magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you fucker,” Neil mumbled when he saw the lake no longer shining. He’d blocked the moonlight, meaning Andrew was still stuck as a swan. And he still had a lot of magic left. This was not good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get Andrew out of here,” Kevin said, drawing his sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Neil quickly replied, climbing out of the saddle. Andrew finally gave a tiny honk at the movement as he remained in place. Kevin seemed surprised, but Neil wasn’t going to let him throw his life away to buy them some time to run away. “Get to my cottage,” Neil told him. “In one of the cupboards of my kitchen you’ll find a crystal ball wrapped in cloth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…?” Kevin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was my mother’s,” Neil said with a tiny shrug. “Ichirou has a crystal ball. Use it to call him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll respond to my magic. Break your exigency charm near it, and it’ll start to work. Then you only have to call for Ichirou, and tell him his brother’s here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he didn’t like the plan(and neither does Neil, for the record), Kevin turned his horse towards the entrance to the sacred grounds. “What will you do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil shrugged. “Buy you some time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No more words were said. Kevin nodded once and began to ride away, and Neil felt relieved he didn’t argue and saw the severity of what was going on. He turned back to Riko and balled his hands into fists, knowing that if he was going to make it through this fight and finally finish things, he was going to have to fight fire with fire. Or, in this case, magic with magic. Riko had a limited amount and probably doesn’t know how to use it very well. In contrast, Neil has a lot and also doesn’t know how to use it very well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As far as magic went, they were pretty evenly matched.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But this isn’t going to be like last time,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Neil thought. Last time he was too sure of himself and had used too much power at once. Last time he was just fighting to get away, to not die then but at a different time. Last time he was sure of what the outcome would be. This time, Neil had no idea what the outcome would be, but he was going to do his damn hardest to make sure Andrew was going to be safe. He reached to the scabbard at his side and drew the shortsword he hadn’t touched since Kevin had made him practice with it, holding it as securely as he could in his hands, allowing the amplifier to take the brunt of his magic and faced Riko with a surer look on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t going to be anything like last time, because this time Neil had something worth fighting for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike the past, when Neil had rushed headstrong into danger with every confidence he was probably going to die, he took his time. Riko was holding on to the spear with two shaky hands, and he wondered if that was because it was an amplifier, and Riko clearly couldn’t handle magic. He was bending the laws of nature to gain power, which was just going to end badly. If anything he was going to end up burned from the inside out like Neil nearly was, at the very least with scars on his body. He could already have them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One chance,” Neil called, raising the shortsword to point towards Riko. “Surrender.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riko let out a laugh. “You think you’re in the position to be making demands?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care what position I’m in,” Neil replied, wincing at how that sounded. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, now wasn’t the time to be thinking with a dirty mind. Fuck, he usually never did anyways - </span>
  <em>
    <span>what had changed?</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I’m demanding anyway. Stand down so I don’t accidentally kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Nathaniel,” Riko said, crouching down in a stance that clearly meant for him to rush forward at any moment. “You don’t look like you could fight anyone. I’ve heard what happened - you used too much magic, and it nearly burned you up and killed you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil wondered when he had the time to hear that, but quickly decided it wasn’t worth wasting energy on. “It’s Neil,” he said instead, readying himself, trying to remember what Kevin had taught him. “Move aside and let Andrew get to the lake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late,” Riko replied. “When midnight comes he’ll die. Do you know how close to midnight we are, Nathaniel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you just shut up?” Neil asked, rushing forward. Fuck it - he was done talking and toying around. If Riko wasn’t lying, and he really didn’t have a reason to be, then their time limit was quickly closing in. He needed to get Riko out of the picture and the moon shining again so that Andrew could turn human. Preferably immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fight wasn’t over immediately. Riko parried Neil’s blow with his spear, jabbing at him afterwards. Neil dodged with a spin, aiming for Riko’s head next but quickly having to dodge another jab, jumping back until he was out of stabbing distance. He glared and decided he’d need to use his magic, letting it flow through the blade as he tried to think of a spell to get rid of the clouds in the sky. But he hadn’t been lying when Matt had asked him a few days ago if he could change the weather. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can you stop the rain?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No. Besides, why would I?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Isn’t your magic nature related?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I guess. I prefer nature, anyways.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Messing with nature or the order of things like Riko had done was just plain risky. Trying to stop the rain could turn it into a hurricane if not done just right, so it was almost unfair that Riko was able to cloud up the sky so easily. It didn’t matter that Neil </span>
  <em>
    <span>preferred</span>
  </em>
  <span> focusing on nature magic - the fact of the matter was that if he tried to break up the clouds right now, with his head reeling and emotions high strung, he would probably get them in a worse situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slowly lowered his blade while he watched Riko reach into his pocket, pulling out another vial of red magic and letting it flow to the spear. He already needed to use another? Riko was inexperienced and was tampering with magic, sure, but that didn’t explain why he’d already used up so much with one spell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or it did. Neil thought and realized that Riko hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>completed</span>
  </em>
  <span> a spell, he was continuing one. He’d never finished, which also explained why the sky was just cloudy. He glanced upwards and saw it get darker, and slowly some snowflakes began to fall. The wind just barely started to pick up. Riko’s spell to change the weather wasn’t finished yet and it was still using up magical energy that Riko didn’t know how to control. He was wasting so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he could just get him to use it all up before the spell was finished, then the clouds would go away and Andrew could get to the lake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But...how? </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t you use your power, Abram,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> his mother whispered in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s an enchanted shortsword. It’s an amplifier of magic,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> said Wymack as he handed over the blade Neil currently held in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you get a magic user on your side, it’s very easy to gain power,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Renee reminded him in Allison’s estate.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Were you that desperate?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil opened his eyes, not quite sure when he closed them last. His breath caught as he watched Riko throw away the vial that held the magic he’d let go to his spear, readying himself for attack as he continued to think, the echo of his father’s words still ringing in his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was</span>
  </em>
  <span> he desperate? If so, what was he desperate for? To live? To kill Riko? To save Andrew?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He realized, no. He wasn’t desperate. He wasn’t at that point when he felt the only thing he could turn to was something self destructive. Right now he felt sure of himself - sure he could win, sure he could do what needed to be done. He felt sure that he wasn’t going to die, at least not without a fight. Not this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After releasing the breath stuck in his throat, Neil felt more relaxed. He felt he was in more control of his emotions, and as a result, of his magic. It flowed easily this time, to the point that he didn’t feel it moving under his skin, itching to be set free. It moved to the shortsword in his hands naturally, igniting the blade orange just as Riko’s was an angry red. He let the prince come to him this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t try to call for a spell, or try to think of what he should do. It came to him without thinking as he parried Riko’s blow, twisting the spear away and using his own magic to force some of the magic Riko was using out of the spear. Whereas Neil was fully in control, Riko was erratic, and the magic wasn’t his to use in the first place. It easily flew away and returned to the Earth without much prompting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riko didn’t seem to notice what had happened, either. He just attacked again, once again easily blocked now that Neil was completely focused. Riko was backing him into the lake but that was alright, because now the magic he’d just poured into the spear was nearly gone, no longer Riko’s to use, just as it should be. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bring out the last vial,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Neil thought to himself as he pushed the spear away again. He was now knee deep in the lake, the water was cold but he didn’t focus on that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, he focused on the way the snow that had been falling started to let up as he dispelled the last of the magic Riko had used from the second vial.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil took a few steps back while Riko yelled in anger, taking out the last vial. The magic rushed to the spear but the weather didn’t get worse, like Neil thought it might. The snow had stopped falling altogether, so he was pretty sure any focus Riko had was on trying to beat him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Close,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, giving himself a bit of hope that he could finish up this fight soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He continued doing what he had before: blocking Riko’s attacks and dispelling the magic that so easily faded away, set free by his own. He couldn’t tell how low Riko was getting but knew it had to be close given the grimace on the prince’s face. He continued to back up, not deeper into the lake but towards shore now, focusing on finishing this fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luck had never been on Neil’s side, but this time it was just cruel. His foot slipped on a rock in the lake and Riko took his chance, rushing forward with the last of his magical energy to knock the shortsword out of Neil’s hands. It flew towards the shore, landing on some fine sand near some grass. Neil fell the rest of the way to his knees, quickly dispelling his magic when he felt it continuing to rush through him, right underneath his burns, answering the panic he felt at the sheer luck Riko had to finish this fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s over, Nathaniel,” Riko said sinisterly, a sneer on his face. He twirled the spear a few times for no reason at all except to show off, but it was no longer glowing red. The magic he’d used was now gone. Neil wondered if he should risk using his own magic to try and beat Riko now, but he’d barely thought that before realizing he’d used up a lot of energy. Finally unlocking the balance to using his magic correctly and then using up most of it to dispel Riko’s magic took a lot out of him, and suddenly he could barely move from where he was kneeling in the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was it really over? Just like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was some movement Neil noticed to the side, at the edge of the lake. He glanced that way to see Andrew sluggishly moving towards where his shortsword now laid, orange magic swirling around him from where the exigency charm had shown Kevin using the crystal ball. Neil smirked to himself, then glanced up at Riko, who had looked that way as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your brother’s coming,” Neil taunted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Riko’s look got more murderous. He moved his spear to be held with both hands, gripping it as tightly as he could as he slowly faced Neil again. “You’re not going to be around to see him,” he said, moving one foot back in the water. “I’m getting rid of you both. I’d say it’s been fun, Nathaniel, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince lunged, raising his spear above his head as though he was going to smack Neil on the head with it before running him through. Neil wished he had the strength to try to dodge it, but he’d used up everything he had earlier. He was just out of energy now, kneeling in the shining lake water and waiting for whatever death was going to come. He wanted to close his eyes so the last thing he saw wouldn’t have to be Riko’s stupid face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the water just in front of him rushed up, and Riko screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil couldn’t see what happened right away, but once the wave crashed back down he could get the idea. Andrew now stood in front of him, human again with Neil’s shortsword in one hand, aimed towards Riko, who had fallen backwards in the water. The spear had been dropped and he was clutching his hand close to his chest, crimson staining his expensive clothes and the lakewater. Andrew had jumped in front of Neil and stopped Riko’s attack by slicing at Riko’s hand - probably not enough to cut it off, but enough to damage it. A lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still in awe, Neil looked at Andrew, trying to figure out when he had the time to turn human. Also when the clouds broke up, but that had to be around the time Riko had run out of magic. He was standing on the surface of the water like he had the first time he’d transformed in front of Neil, pale green light from the curse starting to fade away from where it had been swirling around him, with water from the wave that had crashed upwards when he’d transformed dripping down his body. His naked body. Neil wished he had the power to look away to give his friend some respect but he couldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gu-uh,” he choked out instead, trying to figure out how to work his mouth to say a ‘thank you’ at the very least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew looked over his shoulder at Neil, who was drenched and still kneeling in the lake and still exhausted. He probably looked terrible whereas Andrew looked like some kind of god come down to save him from getting killed. Neil wondered what he’d ever done to deserve that. Andrew looked back at Riko. “Don’t touch my things,” he warned, voice threatening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil wondered when he’d become one of Andrew’s things, and also when he didn’t mind that he apparently was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you move?” Andrew asked, bringing Neil’s attention back to the situation at hand. Andrew had now turned to face him fully, kneeling on the surface of the water and looking him over. In contrast, Neil very carefully focused on his friend’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he shakily replied, somehow finding the strength to get his feet under himself and stand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew followed him, glancing once back at Riko. “We should make sure he’s secure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah,” Neil rambled, clumsily moving through the water to get to Riko.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got to work tying Riko up to one of the crumbling pillars, adding a spell or two with the remaining energy he had to make sure the prince wasn’t going anywhere. After that, he checked Riko’s wounded hand to make sure he wouldn’t bleed to death before Ichirou made it. There was a very nasty cut at the wrist joint, and his hand was likely broken, but it could be worse. Riko let Neil do what he could to fix him up so that he’d survive to the next day. Finally, he moved away from their prisoner to Andrew’s little living space, where his friend was eating some sweet bread Neil had packed for the journey what felt like forever ago. He had also finally put on clothes, wearing the same black pants and top he’d put on when Neil had first talked to him as a human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost weird to see him not in his swan form. But a good weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He came to a stop a few steps away from Andrew, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. He didn’t know what to say or what to do now that Riko had been dealt with and he could have an actual conversation with Andrew. He’d gotten so used to the talking being one sided that he couldn’t think of anything to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Other than thanking Andrew for saving him. He should probably do that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t look like a Nathaniel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Neil asked, thrown off. He watched as Andrew turned to look at him, continuing to eat the sweet bread with a blank look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I wanted to say before,” he clarified, gaze unwavering. “When you came back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So that’s why you kept glaring at me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was comfortable again. Neil let himself smile and stepped closer, careful not to get too close and crowd Andrew against the table. He still didn’t quite know what to say yet but felt content to stand there and stare at Andrew, who was looking him in the eyes while shoveling some more bread into his mouth. He looked great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it weird that you’re human again after so long?” Neil found himself asking instead of saying a </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘thank you’</span>
  </em>
  <span> like he should be. To try and look like he wasn’t being awkward he leaned against the table and nearly slid to the floor when he lost his footing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew ignored him for a moment and raised one hand to push him into the remaining chair. Neil felt grateful and also really embarrassed. “No,” he finally responded. “In case you’ve forgotten - which you apparently have - I turned human two days ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it two days ago?” Neil asked. “It feels like forever ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giving Neil a tiny scowl, Andrew said, “Two days ago I woke up on the lake with Kevin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, shit. They were going to have this conversation. Which they probably should have, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Neil didn’t want to talk about it. Mostly because he totally deserved the reprimanding he was going to get. “Yeah, about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to try and defend yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew nodded. “Good. Then shut up and listen.” He stepped closer, enough for Neil to want to avoid eye contact but he held strong, staring into Andrew’s eyes. For some reason now was the time he noticed more green in them than the previous times he’d looked. “You can’t keep running like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, Neil hadn’t expected that to be the direction the conversation would go. He’d thought Andrew would tell him he was an idiot and to stop being a self sacrificing one at that. “I told you - “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re done running. I know, I remember.” Andrew straightened up, looking far more intimidating that way as opposed to when he and Neil were leaned in close. “I’m telling you anyway. If you keep going you’re just going to stumble and fall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Andrew,” Neil said firmly, making sure he looked as serious as he could. “I meant it: I’m done running. If anything I’m running towards you, so if I trip I know you’ll catch me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew bristled and quickly turned away. Neil stared at his back for much longer than he meant to, turning away after a while and starting to pick at the bandages still covering his hands. They were drenched with lakewater and would need to get changed soon. Probably. Neil had no idea how to take care of magical burns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After staying in silence for nearly a full minute, Neil broke it. “Thank you,” he said, forcing himself to get back to his feet. “For saving me back there. If you hadn’t…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate you,” Andrew interrupted, walking to his nest of blankets and sitting down on it, continuing to snack on his bread. He looked so ethereal when casually laying like that Neil thought it had to be unfair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he likes to flirt with death, he decided to reply, “No you don’t.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I do,” Andrew quickly argued. He raised one bare foot to smack at Neil’s calf that was within kicking distance. It didn’t feel like he tried very hard. “I hate you all the time. It just doesn’t seem like it ‘cause ten percent of the time I don’t feel like killing you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so ninety percent of the time you want to?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, I totally got that from the way you kept me from getting run through with a spear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew didn’t bother replying to that. Neil took a step forward and sat down on the stone before his pile of blankets, staring up at Andrew for a moment, who watched him back. Neil felt like he could just stare at Andrew for hours and not lose interest, which was weird because Riko wasn’t that far away. Still, even the thought of the douchebag being nearby while he was finally able to reconnect with his friend didn’t deter him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Staring,” Andrew grumbled, kicking at Neil’s shoulder this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil lightly brushed the foot away. “Andrew, why did you come back for me that time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, looks like you’re both brave </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid.” Andrew paused as though he was waiting for something, but whatever he was waiting for Neil didn’t get. Or he just didn’t reply in time. “Because you’re stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Neil agreed, thinking back to when he basically just went off on his own to die. “That doesn’t explain why you came back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes it does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m stupid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew was glaring at him, now. It was much clearer on a human face when he had eyebrows he could furrow and a mouth he could frown. Neil quickly looked away from his drawn down lips to focus on what he would say next. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to kill you at least ninety six percent of the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The banter was nice. Neil couldn’t stop grinning. “You like me,” he translated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kevin had arrived at the sacred grounds not too late into the night. Andrew made him watch over Riko despite it not being necessary, and then told Neil to sleep because he still hadn’t gotten a full night of rest. Neil complained that he wanted to talk because they had limited time but Andrew wouldn’t have it, instead forcing him to lay down on the blanket nest and at least rest his eyes. Neil complied and ended up dozing for a while, once in a while blinking awake to mumble some nonsense to Andrew, who kept raising the percentage he wanted to kill Neil every time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a lot of times. Neil was pretty sure he was nearly at 110% by the time the sun finally rose over the horizon, when he got a front row seat to watch Andrew turn back into a swan. The pale green light of the curse surrounded his body, hiding it from view as he turned back into the large bird, waddling away from the clothes he’d been wearing that were now left in a heap on the stone floor. Neil got up then to fold them and put them away, a heavy feeling filling him as he did so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why did it feel like this when Andrew went from being a human to a swan? It wasn’t like they were really different. In the end, Andrew was just Andrew, no matter what form he took. And yet, for some reason…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ichirou is coming personally,” Kevin said, startling Neil as he approached. Andrew huffed a honk as he turned back to his blanket pile, curling up in the warm spot Neil had been in just minutes earlier. “I got a message to Jean as well, through King Jeremy Knox. He should get here in time, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil wasn’t surprised it wouldn’t take Jean long to arrive, given Trojian was one of the kingdoms that bordered the Enchanted Forest, but that didn’t explain why he was coming in the first place. “Okay. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because then we can get the blood oath over with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Neil had forgotten about that. He glanced Riko’s way, frowning at the way he was slumped over and a bit pale. “He’s not dead, is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Kevin answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean arrived first, carefully avoiding looking at Riko and instead taking a seat at Andrew’s table. They all ended up sitting in silence as they waited for what was to come, once in a while checking on Riko. Neil spent a majority of the time staring at a sleeping Andrew, trying to find a name to the feeling he’d had earlier. He wasn’t able to by the time Ichirou made it to the sacred grounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No words were exchanged between them. The guards Ichirou had brought with stood near Neil, Kevin and Jean, a clear message to stay where they were. Ichirou walked towards Riko with two men at his side, crouching down and talking too quietly for Neil to hear. He couldn’t miss when the king killed his brother, giving back the unfamiliar looking weapon one of the men had handed him. They got to work untying the body while Ichirou walked towards the group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve done what I asked,” said the king, pulling the black riding gloves he was wearing off and handing them to one of the guards without sparing a glance. “I’m a man of my word. You live so long as you never speak of Evermore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them bowed in answer, arranging themselves in a circle when Ichirou’s court magician ordered them to. They all held out their hands above one another with Ichirou’s at the bottom as the magician began the blood oath that would keep the three to their word. They could never again speak about what they’d experienced in Evermore to anyone - the oath would keep them from actually saying anything out loud, but if they truly tried to in a different way it would kill them. Neil was prepared to never again speak of that place, happy to leave it behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The magician made a cut on each of their palms, making the blood drip slowly from hand to hand until it reached Ichirou’s. The magician’s magic was white in color, and it wrapped around the blood Ichirou had caught in his palm until it disappeared, the magic fading into the king’s skin. Neil didn’t feel any different after the oath was completed - the only thing he really wanted to do was clean up the cut and never go back to E’Allen again in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the oath was done, Ichirou gathered his men and left without another word, taking Riko’s body away with them. Neil felt he could breathe easier when they were gone, moving to sit down on the blanket pile next to Andrew and ready to relax for a while. Jean walked up to him after a minute with some dry bandages, undoing the ones around Neil’s cut hand so that he could bandage it properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil finally got a look at the burns his magic had left, frowning to himself at the sight of them. Before he’d only peaked at the back of his hand, but now he could see more, down to his forearm. More swirls and lines, not in any particular pattern, left his skin looking bumpy and rough. He hoped they’d at least smooth over one day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean seemed to understand how uncomfortable Neil was and quickly wrapped up his arms again, hiding the burns from view. “I’m sorry,” Jean whispered, taking his hands away as soon as he’d finished with the bandages. “The marks will never go away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Neil said back, just as quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They show you survived.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neil snorted. “I don’t need marks to know I survived.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jean didn’t reply to that, and instead moved away to where Kevin was. Neil looked away from the two to glance at Andrew, who hadn’t moved from his spot on the blankets, but his head was raised and he was looking right back. Neil leaned back on the blankets and decided he didn’t feel like moving for a while. Kevin and Jean didn’t seem to share that desire, instead moving to where the horses were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going back to the palace to tell Aaron what happened,” Kevin told Neil after they’d finished with whatever preparations they’d made. “I’ll then escort Jean back to Trojian.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you love to travel so much, Kevin?” Neil asked with a huff, melting into the blankets a bit more. “I’m ready to stay put forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be too ready,” Kevin warned. “We still have the curse to break.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe not,” Neil said with a shrug. “Sometimes curses are broken if the caster is killed. We’ll have to wait and see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kevin rolled his eyes unnecessarily, then turned and left with Jean. Neil turned to look at Andrew, who was in the same spot he’d been in, still looking at Neil. He’d been doing a lot of staring as a swan, and Neil was tempted to tease if he didn’t know any better. Teasing Andrew when he was a swan usually resulted in bites to fingers or noses, and he didn’t feel like receiving any at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel like receiving was a potion to help the pain he felt in his burns. Using his magic to fight before had heated them up a bit, or at least made them feel that way. Neil got to his feet and gave his friend a smile. “I’m going back to the cottage. You coming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Andrew honked once and got up, flying after Neil as he made his way to Esprit. Technically she was Kevin’s horse, but they’d been through so much and Kevin hadn’t taken her, so. He decided to walk on his feet back to the cottage, watching Andrew fly from branch to branch as they went, even stopping to talk to some of the wildlife he recognized that called out to him, welcoming him back to the forest. It took much longer than it should have to finally reach the cottage, where Neil’s smile fell as his eyes found his garden. Andrew honked in clear laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this was no laughing matter. The spell he’d used to preserve his garden...well, maybe it worked a bit too well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell am I going to do with a pumpkin that large?” Neil shouted, hands rushing to his head in anguish as he started at the pumpkins he’d been previously growing, now each the size of his horse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>
<b>Time left until the coronation: 8 days</b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again.</p><p>Thanks so much for reading this! This is so exciting, we've finished up with all the treason and plots to overthrow the royals, so now we can finally get to the important parts. Breaking this damn curse. I am SO EXCITED to write the next part you guys have no idea.</p><p>As much as we all love Swandrew - like I think we all love him a bit too much, like if he knew how much we all love him WE could probably break his curse - it's almost time to say goodbye to him. Not like he's going anywhere, I enjoy writing these boys as soft and completely in love with each other, and the fluff isn't going to end. There are four more parts coming, so I hope you stick around for when those come out! I have no promises for when the next part is coming out but I'm so excited to write it I don't think it'll be a long wait. Thanks again for reading, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, I appreciate all constructive criticism and read all your comments.</p><p>Stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands, my darlings!</p><p>Come talk to me on tumblr if you'd like! <a href="https://jingerhead.tumblr.com/">@jingerhead</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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